Saturday, 12 October 2013

No 10902, Saturday 12 Oct 2013, Sankalak

End of another fine round from Sankalak.

ACROSS
1   Almost genuine workers, but shirkers (7) TRUANTS {TRUe}{ANTS}
5   Biting remark by the queen to the hairdresser (6) BARBER {BARB}{ER}
11 Composer who reflected anger about pupil (5) ELGAR {E{L}GAR<=}
12 Hardened, deaf clinic, trashed, loses name (9) CALCIFIED CALCIFIEDn*
13 Shed tears, say, with westbound saint for a pupa (9) CHRYSALIS (~cry){CHRY}{SALIS<=}
14 Kind of ebb and flow has oriental sailor losing point (5) TIDAL TInDAL
15 The tag for a maiden in Nebraska (4) NAME {N{A}{M}E}
17 Minute creatures in the same zoo? Funny (7) MESOZOA*
21 Glandular, like the tissue at the back of the nose and throat (7) ADENOID [DD]
22 Plan suppressed by a wide awakening (4) IDEA [T]
26 Deliver a speech like the rejected sailor, in Old English (5) ORATE {O{RAT<=}E}
27 To defame a set of holy books is evil (9)  MALIGNANT {MALIGN}{A}{NT}
29 Sets of caveats structured to include IT (9) ACTIVATES {CAVEATS+IT}*
30 Egg, small in volume, disintegrates without mass (5) OVULE VOLUmE*
31 The ring of a Greek sorceress nabbing student (6) CIRCLE {CIRC{L}E}
32 Learned English, impolite about appeal (7) ERUDITE {E}{RUD{IT}E}

DOWN
2   Message received and understood, boy! (5) ROGER [DD]
3   Halt a royal and others (6) ARREST {A}{R}{REST}
4   Take hold of fishing gear (6) TACKLE [DD]
6   A Roman way Toni modified in operating planes (8) AVIATION {A}{VIA}{TONI*}
7   A cover for the eyes for a Rock Hudson movie! (9) BLINDFOLD [DD]
8   To travel after swallowing a decilitre? That’s a conundrum (6) RIDDLE {RID{DL}E}
9   Go down with two notes and transmit about a hundred! (7) DESCEND {D}{E}{S{C}END}
10 First of bombardiers survived being attacked (7) BLASTED {B}{LASTED}
16 Wonderland character who had swayed in substance (3,6) MAD HATTER {M{AD H*}ATTER}
18 Bury little Valerie in the meantime (8) INTERVAL {INTER}{VAL}
19 Element that this bum destroyed (7) BISMUTH*
20 Fights of some mammals let off inside (7) BATTLES {BAT{LET*}S}
23 Pattern upset by spies so close to martyrdom (6) MOSAIC {M}{OS}{AIC}<=
24 More intimate class leader, a no-hoper (6) CLOSER {C}{LOSER}
25 A precious thing around the east that’s been around a long time (3-3) AGE-OLD {A}{G{E}-OLD}
28 Not the kind of movie for a child (5) ADULT [CD]

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74 comments:

  1. svemuri12 October 2013 at 08:33

    I solved it before 8.30,smooth and nice CW.

    ReplyDelete
  2. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 08:36

    29 Sets of caveats structured to include IT (9) should be setS off ?!!

    Slightly less easier than yesterday's Yet smooth like a pin through a banana!! No one needs to go bananas at all !!



    .



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ajay12 October 2013 at 09:45

      Knife through butter....long since I used that breakfasty phrase ...

      Delete
  3. Chaturvasi12 October 2013 at 08:38

    Don Manley in his Chambers Crossword Manual gives tips to solvers. Many of these I and others must have mentioned in this and other forums.

    The last tip that he gives is interesting:

    Keep a sense of proportion; and don't let solving crosswords dominate your entire existence!.

    What is your reaction?

    - I do.
    - I don't.
    - You're telling me!
    - Nonsense. I will go on to keep my record in the Limca book of records.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 08:43

      Nonsense; I will go on and on and on until my last dying day-- Limca book or otherwise. !!

      Next to breathing, crosswords are my inhalations and exhalations !!

      Delete
    2. Chaturvasi12 October 2013 at 08:45

      Thanks for your prompt response. That's the spirit! Cheers.

      Delete
    3. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 09:34

      I'd like to see the response of other bloggers to this poll !!

      Delete
    4. Ajay12 October 2013 at 09:44

      I will follow the Middle Path of Buddha........So though i love crosswords I have loads of other interests including quizzing and a quest for knowledge....So I guess they all balance each other out and ensure that I dont get obsessed by any one mental exercise........

      Delete
    5. VJ12 October 2013 at 13:15

      "You're telling me!!"

      I've not solved any crosswords in nearly a year (or probably more). And I still come here and post something.. And even when I used to solve, it was "I do!"

      Delete
  4. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 08:41

    How many can remember Rock Hudson as an actor? How many among the young India even know who Rock Hudson is? Of course, they have the benefit of Google -Chacha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chaturvasi12 October 2013 at 08:44

      The membership of this forum may be such that most of us have seen Rock Hudson in films in theatres when they were released.

      Delete
    2. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 09:24

      Is that so? Can the naysayers raise their hands and give us a tally? What next here? Thelma Ritter?

      Delete
  5. Chaturvasi12 October 2013 at 08:42

    Following a remark of RajuU above, have you ever driven a needle through a banana? What other such activities from our vernacular proverbs can you think of - whether you have done it or not?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 08:45

      You know , one can slice a banana into pieces by running a thread across ?
      When a person is as smooth as the needle through a banana. he is deemed to be a diplomat!

      Delete
    2. Chaturvasi12 October 2013 at 08:56

      You said it. Raju!

      I just rose from my computer chair to reach for my copy of Tharkaala Thamizh Marabuththodar Agaarathi.

      The meaning of the idiom as given in it is:

      (excuse Tamil script)

      (சொல்லவந்த செய்தியின் கடுமை தெரியாதபடி) மிக நயமாக அதே நேரத்தில் தவறாமல் உணர்ந்துகொள்ளும்படியாக
      - which may be translated as: (masking the sternness of advisory about to be made) very softly and delicately but at the same in such a manner that the listener becomes aware of their mistake

      Delete
    3. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 09:19

      I did not know the proverb or that Tamil idiom but I could draw a simile and hence thought it off my mind and wrote. Whoever is that Tamil pundit , I can only say that great minds think alike? Most of the homilies are ageless and and as I told earlier , ideas are never invented but only discovered.

      Delete
  6. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 08:47

    You just ran a banana through a needle by asking that last question about crosswords and passion .

    ReplyDelete
  7. Deepak Gopinath12 October 2013 at 08:56

    I have driven a needle and thread through a banana as part of a magic trick to cut a banana in half without peeling it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12 October 2013 at 09:00

      That used to be a good one. If the banan had spots, it was even more easier to disguise the needle holes

      Delete
    2. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 09:21

      Do you know that a lime can be extracted of its juice after warming it a bit and running a needle through it? Less mess !!

      Delete
  8. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 09:31

    Clues of my day are CHRYSALLIS & MESOZOA

    ReplyDelete
  9. Chaturvasi12 October 2013 at 09:45

    How do you pronounce 'chrysalis'?

    The chry- is as cri- in criminal.

    'cry' is pronounced to rhyme with high, my, ...

    I didn't solve this puz. My remark comes after I read the clue and answer after Raju's Comment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan12 October 2013 at 09:52

      Could 'say' be extended to pronunciation as well?

      Delete
  10. Padmanabhan12 October 2013 at 09:48

    CV,
    I would very much like to go through your 'Agarathi' next time I meet you! Sometimes the msg is so nicely carried in one language that it is very difficult to do justice in translation (though it is excellent and conveys the gist)

    About your choices I am glad that I have now lost my sense of proportion and graduated.

    Feel sorry about Sankalak's shortened run.I am sure we will feel the same way even if he were to do his full quota as earlier.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ajay12 October 2013 at 10:06

    BTW, is Sankalak here on our blog. Haven't read him here. Does he hang around here?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath12 October 2013 at 10:28

      Yes he does come in once in a bluemoon, invariably to comment when a goof up is done by the paer in publishing his clues incorrectly

      Delete
    2. Raghunath12 October 2013 at 10:46

      The paper surely is heartless in doing so.

      Delete
    3. Mukundala Balasubramanyam12 October 2013 at 11:00

      That's 'reap' westbound :)

      Delete
  12. Shrikanth12 October 2013 at 11:19

    I think the Anno for 20D could be BAT(TLE*)S. Because of the 'off'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath12 October 2013 at 11:40

      That's what I have shown except that I have shown it as (LET*) ie LET anagrammed inside BATS

      Delete
  13. Mukundala Balasubramanyam12 October 2013 at 11:37

    4Dn : Take hold of fishing gear (6) TACKLE (DD)
    Could it be TICKLE ? OED gives : Catch (a trout) by rubbing it so that it moves backwards into the hand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath12 October 2013 at 11:39

      Take hold of - TACKLE
      Fishing gear - TACKLE

      Delete
    2. Mukundala Balasubramanyam12 October 2013 at 11:51

      Yes, you are very correct Sir. Had a second look at the word 'Tackle' and found the fishing gear part. Thanks Sir.

      Delete
  14. Deepak Gopinath12 October 2013 at 12:03

    Kishore heading the leaderboard at IXL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan12 October 2013 at 12:26

      Beginner?!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12 October 2013 at 13:29

      Till now we were playing only Tests. First ever round of IXL ain't it?

      Delete
  15. Anonymous12 October 2013 at 12:25

    Just beginner's luck I think. I might get clean bowled this week. Vinod and Deepak nipping at the heels. Quite a few familiar names lurk in the list.

    ReplyDelete
  16. VMA Nair12 October 2013 at 12:34

    Weekly Round 1 Leaderboard Announced. Winner Kishore M (Bangalore) wins a Lenovo A2107 Tablet.
    (From http://www.crypticsingh.com/indian-crossword-league-2013/)

    Congrats Kishore ..

    ReplyDelete
  17. Mukundala Balasubramanyam12 October 2013 at 12:38

    Hearty Congrats Kishore !

    ReplyDelete
  18. Mukundala Balasubramanyam12 October 2013 at 12:54

    Saw the IXL result. Kishore No.1, Deepak Sir @ No.5 and Suchi @ 11 !?(can't believe)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Padmanabhan12 October 2013 at 12:54

    Congrats & Best wishes for more!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ajay12 October 2013 at 13:10

    Mukund its like FFF so you have to log on to do it on time to get listed in the pecking order.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous12 October 2013 at 13:17

    Thanks everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lakshmi Vaidyanathan12 October 2013 at 13:25

    @Kishore Congrats !

    ReplyDelete
  23. Mukundala Balasubramanyam12 October 2013 at 13:48

    Ajay @ 1:10
    Me and IXL ?! No way. I know my limitations. Thanks for your suggestion. I don't know how you fared in it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suresh12 October 2013 at 14:31

      Actually the crossword is quite elementary and you will hav no problem with it MB

      Delete
    2. Mukundala Balasubramanyam12 October 2013 at 15:27

      Well, Suresh garu, since you say it's quite elementary, I shall give it a try and see where I stand ! Thank you.

      Delete
  24. Raghunath12 October 2013 at 13:53

    Congrats, Kishore!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Suresh12 October 2013 at 13:59

    Congrats Kishore.

    The IXL CW is quite a pain in the backside to complete. So double congrats to you

    ReplyDelete
  26. Deepak Gopinath12 October 2013 at 13:59

    Congrats Kishore. Now with the tablet you can draw cartoons on the go :-)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous12 October 2013 at 14:08

    Thanks again ...

    ReplyDelete
  28. Chaturvasi12 October 2013 at 14:35

    Yes, it is a pain to fill the grid.

    Last week I was clicking on every blank cell to enter.

    Today I discovered that after you have clicked on the first cell in any slot, you can move to the others in the slot by using down or right arrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath12 October 2013 at 14:46

      For the Across clues you can use the TAB button to go to the next square. For the down clues only the down and up arrows work.

      Secondly I don't think the Save button works? Today I entered some clues and clicked on Save after which it went back to the home page. When I returned after a while and reopened the CW to continue I found that it was all blank, as a result I had to go through the painful process of re-entering everything again.

      Delete
    2. Suresh12 October 2013 at 15:28

      It works alright. But it times out fast. so after the first 1/2 hour or so it just logs out and you have to log in again

      Delete
    3. Chaturvasi12 October 2013 at 16:18

      What I did today was to create grid with a software on my machine, import clues into it after copying it from the site, then litzing the puzzle and at the end of it all comfortably solve the puzzle with ease of navigation (no scrolling up or down)and no worry about timeout or misbehaviour by the site. After I finished the puz, I returned to the site to quickly input and submit.

      Delete
  29. Chaturvasi12 October 2013 at 14:37

    Suresh, don't you think that the surface reading of many clues leaves much to be desired and certain components are not accurately indicated in the subsidiary indication.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath12 October 2013 at 14:42

      Most definitely

      Delete
    2. Suresh12 October 2013 at 14:50

      I general it was not a good nor enjoyable crossword

      Delete
    3. Suresh12 October 2013 at 15:23

      But then, today's Guardian prize has the following clue
      Red wine splashed across first cover (9). And the answer is Eiderdown. I do not know that first is adequate to represent the first note (do). Since all across clues had the word 'next' in it I could figure it out by solving the other.

      Delete
  30. Richard12 October 2013 at 15:06

    Congrats to IXL winner Kishore from IXE.

    ReplyDelete
  31. SandhyaP12 October 2013 at 15:11

    @Kishore: Wow! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Unknown12 October 2013 at 15:17

    I will miss Sankalak. Why was his run shorter, this time?
    And, I remember watching Rock Hudson films in movie halls!
    I guess many of us are in the same age group!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Mukundala Balasubramanyam12 October 2013 at 17:25

    Whenever Sankalak puzzles appear, invariably you'll find comments in his praise by some, whose comments are heard rarely.
    It was Sumitra on Thursday, RSRao yesterday and Svemuri today ! What does it show ? His popularity ? No doubt, it must be a big YES.
    And what a pity, his offerings are limited to just three in each cycle !!

    ReplyDelete
  34. dr.r.pankajam12 October 2013 at 18:05

    You experience sheer joy and instant energy to start your days work on Sankalaks days and I wish he is given more slots to boost the morale of so many of us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 19:43

      Dr R Pankajam :Isn't that the very purpose of solving? A compiler has done a good job when he makes you feel good after your solving. No doubt, challenging puzzles do invigorate your brain cells and the sense of exhilaration after cracking a tough one is many times better than when you are through with an easier one .

      Delete
    2. dr.r.pankajam12 October 2013 at 20:19

      agreed,but I have not reached that stage as yet :(

      Delete
    3. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 20:41

      No one reaches any stage as each next puzzle that challenges you is another !! So take heart . We are all travelling and never arrive at the final destination of fulfilment until the next one which is yet to come ! So keep travelling .

      Delete
    4. RSRao12 October 2013 at 21:31

      Raju sir, with S it is not just joy, it is education also for starters. I find the answer is easy to get but when i go through this blog and get the anno it is education for other crossies. How many Samosans join me?

      Delete
    5. Mukundala Balasubramanyam13 October 2013 at 07:37

      Plenty ! Majority members of this blog belong to Samosa tribe !!

      Delete
    6. Mukundala Balasubramanyam13 October 2013 at 07:43

      ...and let me add, they keep improving (Crossy Knowledge) by the day.

      Delete
  35. raju umamaheswar12 October 2013 at 19:47

    Kishore: In the first over itself , you have scored ! Take a tap dance on your Tablet !! is it ossible to know the full list of winners ?

    CV:

    My question: Why is it that all compilers are male and I'm yet to see any female ? There are quite a few solvers I had come across, but nary a single compiler !!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Sumitra12 October 2013 at 22:39

    Read the comments just now and can't help but thank Sankalak for a puzzle that was as smooth as silk and for a head start to a day! Wishing for a longer stint of his

    ReplyDelete

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